BACKGROUND: This study was done to identify factors that influence the willingness to be vaccinated with the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine in female college students eligible for a catch-up vaccination program. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 572 female students aged 18-26 years attending one selected university in the Gyeongbuk Province. From March 2 to 6, 2009, they completed a self-administered questionnaire on their HPV vaccination status. Thereafter, unvaccinated participants were educated about the vaccination program, and each participant's willingness to be vaccinated was assessed. RESULTS: Of the 572 participants, 18 (3.1%) were already vaccinated with the HPV vaccine. The number of participants advised to be vaccinated was 102 (17.8%). Of the 554 unvaccinated participants, 305 (55.1%) were willing to be vaccinated after being educated about the vaccination program. Of the remaining 249 unvaccinated participants, 116 (48.7%) refused the vaccine due to its high cost. Advice by family members was related significantly to the willingness to be vaccinated (odds ratio, 2.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-5.14). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that the willingness to be vaccinated with the HPV vaccine could be increased in female college students if they are advised to do so by their family members after being educated about the vaccination program.
Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Papilloma ; Vaccination ; Viruses ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: The management of risk factors of coronary heart disease is highly needed because the prevalence of ischemic heart disease is increasing in Korea. This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of periodic health examination on risk factors of coronary heart disease using Framingham Point Scores. METHODS: The medical records of 343 clients who underwent periodic health examination five times from January 1996 to December 2001 at one medical center in Seoul were reviewed. The five risk factor scores (age, total cholesterol, smoking, HDL-cholesterol, systolic blood pressure), total risk scores, absolute risk and the proportion of the high risk group and the obesity group were analyzed for all the periodic health examinations. RESULTS: For the five periodic health examinations, age risk factor score increased in men and women. Scores of risk factors such as smoking, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and systolic blood pressure decreased in men only (P<0.0001). The total risk score (P<0.0001) and the absolute risk (P=0.0002) increased in men. The total risk score (P<0.0001) and the absolute risk (P=0.3238) increased in women with no changes of other risk factors except increased age score and decreased HDL-cholesterol score. The proportion of the high risk group (P=0.5406) and the obesity group (P=0.0762) were very small and not changed. CONCLUSION: The risk of coronary heart disease as not reduced with the five periodic health examinations. Therefore, the total risk score and the absolute risk did not decrease. Continuous risk factors management must be emphasized after periodic health examination for absolute risk reduction.
Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Disease* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Medical Records ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Numbers Needed To Treat ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors* ; Seoul ; Smoke ; Smoking

BACKGROUND: Smoking is well known as an important preventable risk factor contributing to mortality and morbidity. Telephone counseling might be one of adjunctive interventions for smoking cessation. We evaluated whether telephone counseling performed by a nurse could improve smoking cessation rate. METHODS: Study subjects were 152 male smokers who visited family practice in one tertiary hospital between November 2001 and January 2002 and agreed to participate in this study. After completing a self- administered questionnaire, the subjects received self-help materials and were randomly assigned into either an intervention or control group. A well-trained nurse provided telephone counseling only to experimental group at 8th and 17th week of follow-up. The 25-week smoking cessation rates were checked in both groups by telephone call. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in socio- demographic and smoking-related characteristics between intervention, control, and non-participants groups. Intention-to-treat smoking cessation rate at 25th-week of follow- up was 21.1% in control, 25.0% in intervention group and was not statistically different from each other. Smoking cessation rate according to the baseline stage of change toward quit smoking was not statistically different from each other. CONCLUSION: The telephone counseling performed by a nurse was not significantly effective for improving smoking cessation rate in this study.
Counseling ; Family Practice ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Mortality ; Risk Factors ; Smoke* ; Smoking Cessation ; Smoking* ; Telephone* ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: Recently, the protocol of high dose of intravenous immunoglobulin has been preferred in the treatment of acute stage of Kawasaki disease. In this study, we have compared the serum concentrations of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma in the patients with Kawasaki disease between intravenous immunoglobulin of 1 gm/kg and 2 gm/kg groups. METHODS: Fourteen patients admitted to Asan Medical Center were enrolled in this study. These patients met the diagnostic criteria of Kawasaki disease divided into two groups by the dose of intravenous immunoglobulin, 1 gm/kg and 2 gm/kg. The concentrations of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma using ELISA methods were measured before and after the 5th and 14th days of intravenous immunoglobulin. RESULTS: The serum levels of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma showed no statistically significant difference between 1 gm/kg and 2 gm/kg group of intravenous immunoglobulin on before the treatment and the 5th, 14th days after the infusion of intravenous immunoglobulin. CONCLUSION: There is no difference of serum concentrations of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma between the intravenous immunoglobulin of 1 gm/kg and 2 gm/kg doses in an acute stage of Kawasaki disease. The dose of immunoglobulin in a treatment of Kawasaki disease needs to be examined in future studies.
Chungcheongnam-do ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins* ; Interferon-gamma ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

PURPOSE: Knowledge of nutritional support and attitudes of medical staff both affect patient care. We identified attitudes regarding nutritional support among medical staff as well as changes in attitudes when a nutritional support team is present. METHODS: Data were collected from 172 medical staff members who served at a university hospital located in Gyeongju by self-administered questionnaire from June 12~August 30, 2013. The questionnaire inquired about importance of nutritional support, self-confidence about nutritional support, consideration of nutritional support for patient care, consideration of nutritional support when a nutritional support team is present, and nutritional knowledge training during the past year. RESULTS: A total of 169 subjects (98.3%) thought that nutritional support is important for patient care. Only 19 subjects (11.0%) were highly self-confident about nutritional support. In total, 147 subjects (85.5%) considered nutritional support for some or all patients, whereas 169 (98.3%) considered nutritional support for patient care when a nutritional support team is present. Thirty-eight subjects (22.1%) received nutritional knowledge training during the past year. High self-confidence for nutritional support was related to nutritional knowledge training and service part. Positive changes regarding nutritional support when a nutritional support team is present were associated with nutritional knowledge training and high self-confidence for nutritional support. CONCLUSION: No differences in nutritional support attitudes for patient care were observed among the medical staff. Nutritional knowledge training and service part affected self-confidence of nutritional support and induced positive changes in attitudes for nutritional support.
Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Medical Staff* ; Nutritional Status ; Nutritional Support* ; Patient Care* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: While woman, old age, insufficent fiber and water supplement are well known risk factors of constipation, the relationships between constipation and stress, irregular diet and other lifestyle factors have not been well documented. We examined the relationship between constipation and those lifestyle factors in working women. METHODS: The study design was a cross-sectional study. The study subjects were 911 women who underwent health examination between May 30th, 2002 and June 30th, 2002 and completed the questionnaires relating to bowel movement. The information on bowel movement, demographic and lifestyle factors acquired through self-administered questionnaires were used for analysis. Chi-square test, t-test, and multiple logistic regression analysis were used. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of constipation defined by Rome II criteria among study subjects was 48.6%. The most frequent abnormal symptom occurring in more than 25% of abnormal bowel movement was straining (50.0%). Fewer than three bowel movements per week was observed only in 16.1% of the subjects. Among the subjects with self-reported constipation, only 66% had constipation defined by Rome II criteria. High degree of stress was the strongest independent risk factor (odds ratio[OR]:3.02, 95% confidence interval[CI]:1.68-5.41). Low intake of fiber and dieting were significantly related with increased risk of constipation and the OR was 2.08 (95%CI: 1.13-3.81), 1.92 (95%CI: 1.12-3.27), respectively. CONCLUSION: The significant relationship between constipation and stress, fiber intake, and dieting suggest that they are the risk factors of constipation. The possibility of disagreement between self-reported and objective constipation should be considered during medical consultation of patient with abnormal bowel habit.
Constipation* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet ; Female ; Humans ; Life Style* ; Logistic Models ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Women, Working* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Understanding lung sound is important physical examination of chest. We studied to identify the state of the understanding, the education and the self-learning experience for lung sound's interpretation during the residentship training period. METHODS: Data were collected from 45 family medicine residents who had trained in Daegu and Gyeongbuk from April 1st to May 31th 2008. Residents completed self-administered questionnaire about the education and the self-learning experience for lung sound's interpretation and had been estimated the understanding of lung sound by using the audio file of five lung sounds. RESULTS: The median score (inter-quartile range, IQR) of lung sound's interpretation was 2 (1, 3) between 0 and 5 range. The number of residents who were educated for the interpretation of lung sounds during the training period were 10 (22.2%). Twenty-four (53.3%) had the self-learning experience for lung sounds. CONCLUSION: The understanding for lung sounds of family medicine residents in Daegu, Gyeungbuk was not high and the majority of residents were not educated the interpretation of lung sounds during the training period. Directors of family medicine should consider to make the regular education program for interpretation of lung sound during the training period.
Comprehension ; Humans ; Lung ; Physical Examination ; Respiratory Sounds ; Thorax ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Freshmen maladaptation to university life has brought a lot of attention recently. Therefore, we intended to investigate about the relationship between anxiety, depression, stress and freshmen adaptation to university life. METHODS: We recruited 861 freshmen of a university located in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, and measured their degree of anxiety, depression, and stress by questionnaire from March 10 to 14, 2008. After 8 weeks, we examined their adaptation to university life by questionnaire and finally, analyzed the data of 600 freshmen. RESULTS: Among the freshmen, 285 (47.5%) had anxiety, 95 (15.8%) depression, and 70 (11.7%) stress. Adaptation to university life significantly associated with college-entrance exam experience, the number of close friends in class, willingness to join the club, major satisfaction and distance from the university to hometown, in addition to anxiety, depression, and stress. Risk factors of maladaptation to university life were stress (odds ratio: 2.66, 95% confidence interval: 1.60 to 4.45), depression (2.45; 1.56 to 3.84), one experience of college entrance exam (1.83; 1.24 to 2.69), anxiety (1.73; 1.27 to 2.37) and fewer than 5 close friends (1.60; 1.17 to 2.20). Short distance from the university to hometown (0.72; 0.53 to 0.98), willingness to join the club (0.60; 0.41 to 0.87) and major satisfaction (0.42; 0.29 to 0.61) were identified as lowering the risk of maladaptation to university life. CONCLUSION: Anxiety, depression, and stress closely related to freshmen adaptation to university life. During freshmen's health examination, we need to identify the degree of anxiety, depression and stress in order to predict maladaptation to university life.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Friends ; Humans ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of open-mouth breathing on the upper airway anatomy of patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) based on polysomnography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 114 subjects (101 males and 13 females) with a mean age of 42.7 years and a mean body mass index (kg/m2) of 26.2 were enrolled in this study. All subjects were divided into four groups (simple snoring, mild obstructive sleep apnea syndrome[OSAS], moderate OSAS and severeOSAS) according to the apnea-hypopnea index. Lateral cephalometric radiograms (retropalatal, retroglossal, and hypopharyngeal distance, and pharyngeal length) were taken with the mouth closed and open. RESULTS: The lateral cephalometric variables were compared between the mouth closed and open positions, and it was found that the retropalatal and retroglossal distances and pharyngeal length were significantly changed in all groups. However, the hypopharyngeal distance did not change significantly in any of the groups. CONCLUSION: Open-mouth breathing significantly reduces the retropalatal and retroglossal distance and lengthens the pharynx in patients with SDB. Since these anatomical changes may worsen SDB or decrease positive airway pressure treatment compliance, ENT doctors should attempt to convert SDB patients from open-mouth breathing to nasal breathing.
Body Mass Index ; Cephalometry ; Compliance ; Humans ; Male ; Mouth ; Mouth Breathing ; Pharynx ; Respiration ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Snoring